The present invention relates to a device for connection in a circuit to integrate the current flowing in the circuit with time in either direction. Such a device is particularly useful, for example, as a battery discharge state indicator, since it can be connected in circuit with and adjacent to a battery so as to monitor the current flowing into and out of the battery with time, and can therefore provide an indication of the present discharge state of the battery in units of current time.
Such current integration devices have been used in the past as battery monitors or ampere hour meters, and commonly comprise a current sensor for connection in a circuit, i.e. in series with the battery, and an integrator for connecting across the sensor so as to integrate the voltage across the sensor with time. Since the voltage across the sensor is directly proportional to the current flowing through it, the output of the integrator comprises a series of pulses at a frequency proportional to the current flowing through the sensor. In other words, each pulse will represent a predetermined unit of current-time (or ampere hours). The integrator is connected to a suitable bidirectional counter for counting the pulses in one direction when the current flow is in one direction, and in the opposite direction when the current flow changes direction.
Where such a device is used as a battery monitor, the output will provide an indication of the discharge state, or total ampere hours removed from the battery. When the battery is discharging and the current direction is out of the battery, the counter will count in one direction. When the battery is being charged and the current direction is into the battery, the counter will count in the opposite direction. Thus, the user of a device operated by the battery can see how many ampere hours have been consumed at any time, and therefore has an indication of the discharge state, or the ampere hours removed from the battery. The user will therefore be able to estimate whether the battery is able to start and/or operate a device efficiently at any time.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,971,980 and 4,153,867, of Jungfer et al describe a current integration device comprising a battery testing apparatus including a comparator and an integrating element. a digital counter is included in the circuit which runs backwards under charge and forward under discharge. The comparator controls reversal of the integrating element with respect to either the charging or the discharging of the battery.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,284 of Schweizer et al describes a device of the same type including a switch between a measuring resistance connected in the battery circuit and an integrating circuit. The switch acts to switch the polarity of a voltage input to the integrating circuit whenever a specific positive or negative value of the integrator output signal is reached. The integrating circuit is also arranged to take into account the fact that the amount of current supplied to the battery during charging must be greater than the amount drawn during discharging, since a proportion of the charging current will always be lost as a result of charging inefficiency and self-discharge. This is achieved by having two different time constants in the integrating circuit so that the pulses are produced at longer time intervals during charging than during discharging when a current of the same intensity flows through the measuring resistance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,734 of Finger describes a bidirectional integrator having first and second programmable pulse forming channels, a bidirectional counter, and an output display. Each pulse forming channel can be continuously and discreetly adjusted to change the repetition rate of the pulses produced. One channel is connected to integrate the charging current and the other channel integrates the discharging current. The pulse output rates of the channels are adjusted so that the count registered during the charging cycle is the same as that registered during the discharging cycle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,898,548 of Perelle et al, a bidirectional integrator is described which includes a threshold device permitting the counting of impulses only when the detected current is above a predetermined threshold value, to avoid stray leakage currents.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,086,524 of Kremer shows a battery charge monitor including an integrating amplifier connected to generate a voltage representative of the state of charge of the battery and a detector circuit connected to give an alarm when this voltage passes out of the normal range.
In all of these cases and in similar devices where an integrator is adapted to provide a pulse for each predetermined unit of current time, inaccuracy results from the loss of partial integration values when current changes direction. Where the device is used to monitor a battery, charge/discharge transitions can occur at a rate of several hundred per second in normal battery operations as, for example, when the battery is charging under load and repeatedly switches from charge to discharge. These circumstances may give rise to significant errors in the output of the device.